music

11 January 2005

2001 White Burgundy

Fat and steel, cream and acid: white Burgundy synthsizes opposites. No surprise then to find there a Temple of Janus, the god of two faces: one coming, one going, one happy, one sad. Contradiction may be at the heart why of Burgs appeal to CQ, but we also think it works as Breakfast Wine.

Following: other thoughts with which we left a recent 2001 1ere Cru tasting, where 8 participants tried 8 wines blindly, each ranked them and then took averages of rankings.

CQ's #1 - Ramonet, Chassagne Montrachet, Morgeot. Group's #3 of 8. Lush minerals and floral notes in the nose and what some called slutty or promiscuous oak on the tongue, balanced by great acids and a hugely long finish. All one could hope for in a baby white Burg. Kind of strange to be seduced by oak, but at least one's assured this is old and french rather than young and flexing. $48

CQ (closely tied for #3) #4 - Chateau de la Maltroye, Chassagne Montrachet, Dents de Chien. Group's #4. We found cappucino, cinnamon, coffee, chocolate notes in the nose - not sweet but rather soft and pretty, with an urchin-like acidic curl to it; fat and complex on the palate. Quite long too; a bitter flirtatiousness that wouldn't unhand you. $70

White Chardonnay grapes in Burgundy gain complexity and grace from growing in acidic, minerally chalks and limestone, high in calcium carbonate. California'a fat, round, buttery Chardonnays grow in less acid and more fertile soils; if good wine can be made from them it wil be through manipulating how the climate, not the soil effects grapes.